"I started hating HubSpot. Is anyone else in the same boat? What is your alternative choice?"

I just saw this post on another forum:

"My primary use case for a CRM is to run my B2B SaaS business, and I trusted HubSpot two years ago. Since then, I’ve felt like I’m being ripped off more and more each day. I started with the free version, but my bill quickly increased due to non sense bundles and rocket science-level complicated packages.

"It feels like their starter packages and free tools were traps. While there’s nothing wrong with that tactic if it’s expected, for example, I started with Miro’s free version and now have a huge bill, which I’m okay with because they were transparent from the beginning.

"On top of that, heavy HubSpot users, like those on their community forum, Reddit page, or even their support team (especially the partnership team), are unhelpful and often rude. It’s funny how the entire ecosystem surrounding this tool can feel as toxic as their pricing model.

"The only real advantage I see in using HubSpot is its seamless integration with other tools like Apollo, etc.

"What do you love or hate about HubSpot? Are there any alternatives you would recommend for replacing it?"

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I became a customer and partner of HubSpot in 2014 at the Enterprise level for my consulting/training business. I also sell KEAP , Ontraport , ActiveCampaign , Nimble , Pipedrive , and a few others.

I switched to HubSpot as my primary platform from Keap because it is fast, integrates with Google & Outlook, their 24/7 phone support was great, and I liked the ecosystem.

A couple of years ago, they changed their partner program, so I downgraded to their $15/mo version because Keap, in their legacy version, doesn't have a scheduling app. WTH?

So, instead of paying for Zapier + Calendly to make my Keap work, I just kept the $15 HubSpot and not only get meetings but a website, landing pages, blogs, forms, a fast app, and 24/7 support.

Since 2014, HubSpot has become more like Salesforce in their complex pricing packages, which sucks.

But as I bounce between HighLevel , Keap, Ontraport, and HubSpot every week, if not every day, for myself and for my clients, I always prefer the user experience of HubSpot.

However, feeling as though you're being nickel-and-dimed greatly detracts from that feeling.

So you need to rank order the things you need your tech stack to do, i.e.

• CRM
• Outlook or Google integrationCalendarProposalsQuotesProject management (separate app?)VoIP and/or PAD (power auto dialer)E-commerceWeb forms (smart/dynamic/content) (progressive fields)
• Email marketing
• Marketing automation
• Sales automation
• SMS (internal, external, both?)
• Website
• Smart/dynamic content
• CTAs (smart CTAs)
• Landing pages
• Etc.

Rank order them in terms of necessity vs. nice to have, then rank order them by cost, then by ease of use, then by integrations, then by third-party support.

All of these platforms seem to conspire with one another,

"Hey, we'll leave out SMS if you leave out a calender and you leave out email marketing and you leave out e-commerce..."

Most of the time, when I consult with a client who does not like what they have, some personalized training helps get them over the hurdle for a bit.

It's a huge pain in the ass to switch, and all of these SaaS platforms intentionally make their apps sticky.

None are best-in-class in everything they offer, but HubSpot does get close, but they charge through the nose for the quality, speed, and features.

So maybe you can start breaking things off.

I'm loving Carrd Inspiration for landing pages and one-page websites. Fast. Clean. Super affordable.

I like Spiffy.co Spiffy | Checkouts by Michael R. Hunter for order forms. Integrates with Keap and HubSpot and Zapier. It also has an affiliate module if you sell through referral partners.

I use the HubSpot $15 version and get scheduling links, but Calendly is a great alternative.

There are a lot of good email tools that you can integrate with HubSpot, like Intuit Mailchimp , which has come a long way in the last decade and could give you some website and automation features you need.

If you email a lot, I like Ben Settle's BerserkerMail. (Crazy name, but good tech.)

Pipedrive is a clean, lightweight CRM with growing features, including email.

We're almost punished, as entrepreneurs, by the choices we now have.

That's why I have my clients list the two or three or five MUST-HAVE features, find the tool that best meets those, then help them hold their noses and buy it and deploy it and use it, despite the shortcomings it'll have because they all fall short.

If you wanna bounce ideas around, feel free to DM me or book a time here, and we can find a time to talk, but I tell everyone to dig deeper into their current tool to ensure they're getting the most out of it before they switch.

By digging deeper, you'll get a better ROI out of what you have, and you'll know better what you really need, which will help you make a better decision if/when you do make the switch.

Good luck.